Ice fishing has become a popular winter activity. By fishing on frozen lake surfaces, anglers, even those without access to boats, may select any spot on a lake for best fishing results. With increased popularity has come a greater dissemination of ice fishing knowledge and techniques and a demand for increasingly sophisticated equipment. The modern ice fisherman may employ electronic depth finders, tip-ups, sophisticated lures and extremely sensitive jigging rods.
For extended fishing at low temperatures, anglers employ some type of wind break or shelter. Where local regulations allow, semi-permanent ice fishing shelters may be erected on the ice and left in one position throughout the winter. These shelters have rigid walls and roofs with internal floor openings through which ice holes are drilled. Although these rigid walled shelters provide adequate protection from winds across the ice, their size and weight make them difficult to move. As in any type of fishing, for best results it is necessary to go where the fish are biting. To facilitate the location of the best fishing spot, portable ice fishing shelters have been developed which are light-weight and capable of being stowed, moved, and erected in a matter of minutes.
One known type of ice fishing shelter employs a plastic sled-like base to which a tubular metal framework is connected. A flexible fabric covering is deployed over the framework to form a tent-like fishing enclosure. Enclosures of this type which have a fishing hole located within the plastic base must have base dimensions which are undesirably large and difficult to transport. To minimize base dimensions, fishing shelters have been developed which utilize a bent rod brace which projects outwardly from the base over the ice fishing hole and which spaces the flexible covering frontwardly from the base.
One of the most effective ice fishing techniques is jigging, in which a line is dropped from a hand-held fishing rod through a hole in the ice to deploy the lure in close proximity to the lake bottom. The angler then repeatedly lifts the lure over about a two foot distance, then returns the lure to the lake bottom. Different patterns and rates of lifting, returning, and jiggling of the rod may be employed which are best suited to a particular species of fish. However, in the close confines of a flexible fabric covering fishing shelter, the flexible front flap of the shelter may be blown inward by lake winds. This inward deflection of the shelter covering is likely to interfere with the precise jigging motion of the angler. Furthermore, fishing techniques which employ extremely sensitive bobbers may be activated by a slight nudge on the pole or line from the deflected covering, resulting in a false strike.
What is needed is a compact, light-weight, easily transportable fishing shelter which does not interfere with the sheltered angler's rod and line. Furthermore, an easily transportable shelter is needed which may accommodate multiple anglers.